Bottle closure



Peb, 11, 1936. rA. M, WHITNEY BOTTLE cLosURE Filed Aug. 17, 1935 V"lli Jamin M may??? f Invenlof Patented Feb. 11, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE CLO SURE tion of Pennsylvania Application August 17, 1935, Serial No. 36,730

2 Claims.

This invention pertains to new and useful improvements in bottle closures or Stoppers and has for one of its important objects to provide means for closing a bottle or other container in a manner to render tampering with the contents thereof without detection impossible.

Another very important object of the invention is to provide a closure of the character described of the type includinga bushing fixed in the bottle neck and having mounted therein an indicator plug, together with novel means for releasably securing said indicator plug in position.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a bottle closure of the character set forth which will be comparatively simple in construction, strong, durable, highly efficient and reliable in use and which may be manufactured and applied at low cost.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study or the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:-

Figure 1 is a View in vertical section through a bottle closure constructed in accordance with the present invention, showing the device mounted in the neck of a bottle.

Figure 2 is a view substantially similar to Figure 1, but showing the device after the frangible seal has been broken and the indicatorl plug dislodged.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view, showing the invention before it is inserted in the bottle neck.

Figure 4 is a detail View in perspective of the indicator plug.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, it will be seen that the embodiment of the invention which has been illustrated comprises a bushing I which is adapted to be fixed in any suitablemanner, as by cementing, in the neck 2 of a bottle 3. The lower portion of the bore 4 of the bushing I is counterbored, as at 5, in` a manner to provide a shoulder 6. Mounted in the counterbore 5 and engaged with the shoulder 6 is a fr'angible disk or seal l of suitable material. Fixed in the counterbore 5, as by cementing, is a ring 8 which retains the disk 1 in position.

Inserted in the ring 8 from the lower end thereof is an indicator plug 9 of any suitable material, said indicator plug including a substantially flat, circular head ID. The lower portion of the bushing I is reduced, as at II, and mounted on this reduced portion is a retaining ring I2 of suitable compressible material, preferably cork. The ring I2 includes a thickened lower portion I3 which extends below the bushing I and in which the head I0 is engaged for releasably securing the indicator plug 9 in position. If desired, a suitably cap may be provided on the upper end of the bottle neck 2.

In use, if a cap of the usual type is mounted on the bottle neck 2, said cap is, of course, removed. A suitable instrument is then inserted in the bore 4 of the bushing I and the frangible sealing disk 1 is broken, after which the indicator plug 9 is forced downwardly out of the 15 ring I2 into the body of the bottle. As the bushing I is permanently fixed in the bottle neck 2, it will be impossible to remove the indicator plug 9, the head I0 thereof being of greater diameter than the bore 4 and it will accordingly be readily 20 apparent, by reason of the fact that the indicator plug has been dislodged, if the bo-ttle has been previously opened. When the closure is forced to its position in the bottle neck the ring I2 will be contracted about the head I0 in a 25 manner to firmly secure the indicator plug 9 in position. Further, the retaining ring I2 will be compressed when the closure is inserted in the bottle neck and said ring will function as a seal to prevent the content of the bottle from con- 30 tacting the cement between the bushing I and the bottle neck 2.

It is believed that the many advantages of a bottle closure constructed in accordance with the present invention will be readily understood, 35 and although a preferred embodiment of the device is as illustrated and described, it is to be understood that changes in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to which will fall 40 within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:-

1. A bottle closure comprising a bushing adapted to be fixed in the neck of a bottle, the lower portion of the bore of said bushing being counterbored, and providing an internal shoulder, the lower portion of said bushing further being externally reduced, a frangible sealing disk engaged with the shoulder, a retaining ring fixed in the counterbored portion of the bushing and engaged with the sealing disk, an indicator plug removably mounted in the retaining ring, said indicator plug including a substantially flat, circular head engaged with the lower end of the retaining ring and the bushing, and a ring of compressible, contractible material mounted in the reduced lower portion of the bushing and encircling same and depending therefrom, the depending portion of the second named ring being internally thickened and extending beneath the bushing and engaged with the periphery of the head for frictionally securing the indicator plug in position in the first named ring.

2. A bottle closure comprising a bushing to be fixed by cementing in the neck of a bottle, the lower portion of the circumference of said bushing being reduced in diameter forming a shoulder thereon, an indicator plug removably mounted on the bottom of said bushing, said indicator plug' including a substantially flat circular head engaged with the lower end of the bushing, said plug extending some distance into and tting snugly the bore of the bushing, an annular gasket of compressble material mounted on the reduced portion of the bushing and encircling it and extendingrbelow the Vsame and including a. preformed internalV flange engaging the periphery of the head for friotionally securing the indicator plug 10 in position at the bottom of the bushing.

ALVIN M. WHITNEY. 

